Giro d'Italia to start in Venice

The 100th Giro d'Italia will make its start in Venice with a team time trial, the city's mayor announced Thursday. The stage in the popular tourist destination in Northeast Italy will suit seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, who announced he will race the three-week tour from May 9-31.

The stage will be a 21-kilometre team time trial on Venice lido (the beach that separates mainland Venice from the Adriatic Sea). The stage will be fast with only five turns along the parcours that shots straight down Lungomare D'Annunzio and Marconi before a U-turn and the parallel run on Via Alberoni, Malamocco and Sandro Gallo back towards the starting point.

"The presence of the Corsa Rosa is of huge importance to Venice, which has a great opportunity to offer Italy and the world something unusual, vital and lively, fundamentally different than the city's normal image," said Massimo Cacciari to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The race's organiser, RCS Sport, will announce the full Giro d'Italia parcours in December. It is planning many surprises, which could include a city other than Milan for the final stage. Mountain stages always highlight the race and Austria could host the first days in altitude following the opening day in Venice.

Alberto Contador, winner of the 2007 Giro d'Italia, confirmed this week that he would not defend his title. He will focus on winning the Tour de France a second time after his 2007 victory. (GB)